Instructors

How to Survive an Abduction

One minute you’re getting in your car to go to work and the next you’re bound and gagged in the back of a speeding van. For most people, being kidnapped or held hostage is a terrifying experience. And it happens that fast. Sometimes so fast that you can’t even attempt to escape your abductor(s). Fortunately, most kidnapping victims are released unharmed, mostly fairly quickly. Make no mistake though: any abduction can turn deadly, and whether or not the victim survives depends largely on decisions he or she makes while in captivity.

10 STUDENTS ENROLLED

Warnings

Don’t attempt to remove a blindfold, and don’t try to take off a mask, either off yourself or off a captor. If the captor doesn’t want you to see him/her, it could be a good sign: he/she may intend to release you and doesn’t want you to be able to identify him. If, however, you then see him/her, he/she may decide to kill you because you can identify him/her.

Keep in mind that if you are recaptured after an initial escape attempt, you will very likely not get another chance to escape – make your escape count.

Be careful not talking to other captives, especially about escaping or about classified information you may have. A fellow captive may rat you out to court the favor of the kidnappers, or one of the “captives” may in fact be a spy for your captors.

Be careful about what you tell abductors. If they’re holding you for ransom or for political collateral, it’s usually best if they think you’re wealthy or important, even if you’re not. If they abducted you to kill you in retaliation for some political action, however, you want to seem very unimportant and uninvolved, even if you’re not. It’s very important to determine your captors’ motivations so you can determine what to tell them, and what not to.

Attempts to dial 9-1-1 or contact police might result in your captor(s) becoming enraged and possibly causing damage to you or any other persons in captivity. Do it unnoticed.

Your attacker will likely be very mad when you fight back, especially if you cause him/her injury. Only become violent if you think you have a good chance of escape, and then do not hold back when attempting to injure your attacker – be as vicious and forceful as possible. It is imperative you escape once you stun or incapacitate the abductor because if you are recaptured he/she will take his/her anger out on you.

Don’t get your hopes up. A positive attitude is important but if you get excited and then get let down, it will be hard to stay positive. If your captors begin to talk about your release, take it with a grain of salt. Don’t set yourself up to be let down.